USS Constitution
Though ostensibly still primarily an organization devoted to exploration, the heavy losses sustained at the hands of the Borg at Wolf 359, and the outbreak of the Klingon-Cardassian War led to the Federation designing ships more oriented towards combat than exploration; namely the Defiant-class and Sovereign-class line of vessels. The USS Constitution belongs to the latter class, and was the third Sovereign class vessel to be completed after the USS Sovereign and Enterprise-E. Though originally scheduled to be completed shortly after the Enterprise, Captain Nelson had heard rumors of a possible Dominion incursion into the Alpha Quadrant, and not wanting his new vessel to meet the same fate as the USS Odyssey, Nelson discussed additional defensive countermeasures with the engineers behind the Defiant, and ordered a refit to add additional phaser banks and torpedo launchers, a refit the Enterprise would also later undergo as well, and to add ablative armor over the ship's critical systems to give added protection against the Jem'Hadar's advanced polaron weaponry. This refit would prove to be prudent when, a short time later, the Dominion and their new Cardassian allies officially declared war on the Federation and proceeded to capture Deep Space Nine. With her refit complete, the Constitution was immediately deployed to the frontlines and assigned to the Seventh Fleet. Despite heavy losses in the early stages of the war, the Constitution and her crew performed admirably, and within the first few months of the conflict had destroyed over two dozen Dominion vessels. Even in the disastrous battle in the Tyra System, where 98 Federation starships were lost or damaged beyond repair, the Constitution was able to destroy seven Dominion ships while covering the retreat of the few remaining ships of the Seventh Fleet, enabling 13 other vessels to escape the carnage and return to Federation space. Captain Nelson and the crew of the Constitution all received commendations for their actions at Tyra, and with the Seventh Fleet effectively no longer in existence, were reassigned to even heavier combat duty on the frontlines. In addition to fleet engagements, the crew of the Constitution were now also routinely assigned to assisting in the defense of Federation worlds on the ground, where they experienced first-hand the true brutality of the Jem'Hadar forces. Though not standard operating procedure, Nelson always accompanied his troops in the field, and did what he could to inspire them to keep going, and get as many of his people as possible through the brutal engagements in one piece. Following the successful defense of a Federation colony, the Constitution was reassigned yet again to aid the massive Federation task force in Operation Return to retake DS9 before the Dominion was able to bring down the minefield and summon reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant. Knowing well that the outcome of the war, and the fate of the Federation, may well depend on the success of this mission, the crew of the Constitution gave the battle everything they had, and were able to destroy nine Dominion vessels before breaking through the enemy blockade alongside 200 other Federation and Klingon vessels heading straight for Deep Space Nine. When the Constitution and the rest of the fleet arrived at DS9 shortly after the Defiant, they discovered the Dominion had already been driven out of the station by the Multiversal Alliance. After some negotiations between the Federation, Klingons, and Bajorans, the Constitution was assigned to escort an Orb needed to locate the Corax, and to provide assistance to the Alliance in order to rescue the Prophets and protect the Federation from the threat the Ascendants pose. Specifications Length: 685 meters Armament: 16 phaser arrays, 1 forward quantum torpedo launcher, 3 forward photon torpedo launchers, 6 aft photon torpedo launchers Defensive Systems: Ablative armor on critical systems and deflector shields Auxiliary craft: 8 workbees, 4 shuttlecraft, 8 shuttlepods, 1 captain's yacht Crew complement: 900 Starfleet Officers and personnel